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A few years ago, Scott and Melissa Powell decided to move from Dallas to Frisco. Something about the area just felt right. “We started looking around and really wanted a mature neighborhood with a lot of trees and a lot of families,” Melissa says. But they came across a common roadblock. Most of those neighborhoods were already built out.
The Powells were in a unique position to design, build, decorate and landscape the home from the ground up, including the pool. Back in 2006, they launched New Leaf Custom Homes, a boutique custom design and build firm. Over the years, they added an in-house interior design firm, The Design Shop, and, most recently, Pools By Design. “We really wanted to build for ourselves. Once you build for yourself, you know the layouts that you like,” Melissa explains.
Their search for a dream lot led them to a rare find, a vacant space that had been purchased by a couple — also professional builders — who planned to retire there one day. In the years since the couple bought the lot, the husband had passed away. The Powells connected with the widow over their shared experiences, and she sold them the lot. “We felt like it was kind of a miracle,” Scott says.
As they got to work on their new home, the Powells relied on the expertise of their teams. “I always tell people, we’re no different than our clients. Even though we design and construct a lot of houses, when we do our own house, we need to collaborate,” Scott says.
“We were all working together,” Melissa agrees. “It was really a labor of love between all of us to create something beautiful.”
Designing their dream home
The Powells have worked in conservation and historic districts as well as different areas of Dallas with building and design restrictions. But there’s something formidable about HOA requirements. “We were forced to think about things a little bit differently. But it was really neat because we just kind of reinvented ourselves to some extent. We saw where the boundaries were and the creativity that was left within,” Scott says.
Not fans of painted brick, the Powells do things more naturally. They opted for a light-colored brick that Scott compares to that of NorthPark Center. “We still did the contrast that’s so popular, the light tones contrasted with dark windows, and a dark roof and accents,” he says.
Dark metal paneling adds a modern touch. “That’s probably something you won’t see in anywhere else in Frisco. We tried to incorporate a little flair,” Melissa notes. They also added a gate in a unique design that repeats on the upstairs landing. “It made the space feel more custom, exciting and a little bit more modern,” Melissa says.
Scott worked with their landscape designer to create the natural hardscapes and softscapes. “We used a Cor-Ten weathering steel edging that binds all those beds. It’s a popular look,” he says. They also went with an emerald-colored grass called zoysia, which is heat- and drought-resistant.
“When we came to Frisco, we were afraid of being boring. We really wanted to have a personality in our house and not follow all the trends around us,” Scott says. Still, “you want to fit in; you don’t want to be the loud house on the street — so we were really conscious about that.”
As you enter the home, you see a stairway that begins with floating steps. The feature adds visual interest before the stairs transition to a traditional style that’s safer for a house with four kids. “As we’ve lived in our houses, we learned form versus function,” Scott says.
With the kids (plus two dogs) in mind, the Powells also chose polished concrete flooring. “The more the kids and dogs beat it up, the better the floor looks. It’s minimal, it’s clean, there are no grout lines and it’s water-resistant,” he shares.
Just off the entryway, you can’t help but notice the guest bath, which Melissa says provided the perfect place to think outside the box. “Texture is everything in that bathroom,” Melissa says. “There’s so much going on that I was a little bit nervous at first, because the shower wall tile has texture, you have the wallpaper and the flooring that has a pattern. But I feel like all of those things come together really nicely to create a wow factor.”
The open-concept kitchen and living area is another standout space. “My two favorite things in the whole house are the fireplace and the back of the island with the tambour paneling. They’re facing each other. When you do concrete floors, you’ve got to bring in warmth on the walls, ceilings or cabinets,” Scott says. “We put LED lighting underneath the island, so that wood could get splashed and accented for everybody to see at night. That’s usually one of the only lights that’s on. It just glows.”
The fireplace includes marble that repeats on the vent hood and backsplash in the kitchen. “The contrast of the kitchen counters was something that was really important to me,” Melissa says. “The Pietra gray marble on the island brought in a little warmth. I didn’t want a totally white kitchen; I wanted some kind of feature.”
The Powells try to be efficient when it comes to space. Placing the tub inside the primary bath’s shower worked from a floorplan perspective and came with some added benefits for a young family.
“Our kids always wanted to bathe in our tub, so it was a splash fest. It was really nice to have the tub behind glass to keep all the water in the wet area,” Scott says.
The vanity has marble counters with waterfall edges on both sides. “That’s something you don’t usually see in a bathroom, but I really wanted to accentuate that vanity,” Melissa adds.
The backyard features a modern pool with clean lines. “Pools are as much of a landscape feature as they are a functional play area,” Scott says. “So creating a beautiful feature makes it something you can enjoy year round.”
In the pool bath, accessible only from the backyard, the Powells found another opportunity to delight their guests, in part with a banana leaf wallpaper. “Outside, you’ve got the green turf, the blue water and you walk in the bathroom and get this big surprise,” Scott shares. “It’s a different theme and an interior landscape.”
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